22 July, 2008

If you asked knowledgeable cyclists what the very best aluminum compact, 110bcd, crank set ever made was, I'll bet the majority would say it's the TA Zephyr. The Sugino Alpina, or Cospea in Japan, would probably be a close second. Unfortunately the Zephyr was discontinued several years ago, but various versions of the Sugino are still in production.

Since there are several versions of the Alpina cranks we asked Sugino to make the best possible model for us. Of course, we wanted cold forged polished silver arms. Sugino also makes numerous grades of chainrings and we speced the finest available, CNC cut chainrings with all the shifting aids for 9-10 speed chains (though they work perfectly with 5-8 speed as well). Then we asked Sugino to polish the rings!

We also received some Sugino chain ring guards, the sort that fit on the crank. They cover 44-46t rings on a 110bcd crank. They will work with any derailleur that has a fairly flat outer cage, like the FSA we stock. On some cranks you may need to file a bit off the little pin that prevents the chain from dropping between the arm and the outer ring, on other cranks you can simply unscrew the pin. $20.

Wow, that is probably the nicest looking crank I've seen since the original XTR. Never a big fan of the TA as my ankles would occasionally clip them. My **only** quibble is I wish they used the Sugino crown logo. The polished rings are great. I've never liked the unpolished rings as they tend to look pretty dingy pretty quickly.

Chris: Am curious why you went with the 'modern' logo as well, since you previously stated a preference for the 'crown' version. In fact, didn't the top of the line 'Alpina' come with a discreet laser-etched crown logo, as seen on Jitensha's site?

Nice to see you're using the best looking chainrings with the crank. I've bought 3 or 4 Suginos in recent years and would have spent more if this combo was available. Maybe next time.

I sure wish Sugino could find a way to make 32 or 33 tooth rings for the 110mm BCD crank (giving it the low end versatility of the TA). I'm ready to spend money on 46/32 conversions on some Suginos if it was possible.

One more vote for you to carry individual polished rings so we can mix and match in the future. Coulda used the chainguards too but I had to settle for ugly black at the time...

Love it. Now I don't have to go looking around for old Specialized Flag 110 bcd cranksets, since these look so similar. Of course, those were made by Sugino also, and were essentially the same as the ones they made for Suntour Superbe Pro group.

A couple of wishes:

1) Drilled for a 74 bcd triple? Not absolutely essential, but would be cool.

2) Can we get it without any chainrings? Me, I like a large 52 or 53 on some of my bikes, probably getting VO to carry such chainrings is a little much to ask.

3) Metal/shiny crankarm bolt dustcaps? So much more attractive than the allen/rubber affair on all the modern Suginos.

"Now I don't have to go looking around for old Specialized Flag 110 bcd cranksets, since these look so similar. Of course, those were made by Sugino also, and were essentially the same as the ones they made for Suntour Superbe Pro group."

Except the Suntour models didn't crack! The Specialized crank was pretty but prone to cracking at the spider/arm junction.

"Except the Suntour models didn't crack! The Specialized crank was pretty but prone to cracking at the spider/arm junction."

Interesting - are you talking about the flag ones or the ones with the typically black squiggly S that seemed to have been produced shortly thereafter? Its only anecdotal on my part, but I have a couple (flag, not squiggle) that I've given pretty rough duty w/no problems. But I'll keep an eye on it.

The Specialized cranks had a stress riser at the spider/crank arm jxn due to a sharp point that can propagate a crack. It can be be filed out in a couple minutes. I think this applies to the "flag" and the "S" models. Campy NR cranks had this problem too, as did the Suntour Microdrive XC Pros.

The Alpina looks nice although it might as well be drilled for a 74 BCD triple that you could leave off if not req'd. The Q is pretty high which is pretty std these days. The rings look great.

"If you asked knowledgeable cyclists what the very best aluminum compact, 110bcd, crank set ever made was, I'll bet the majority would say it's the TA Zephyr."

I don't know if the majority would (because most cyclists didn't know it existed), but some would. The TA Zephyr certainly gets my vote. I had one on my old Rivendell. A piece of highly polished jewelry that doubled as a superb bike component was what it really was.

Since many posting here seem intellectually curious, and because many of us can't afford travel abroad these days what with the beating our dollar takes overseas, I'd like to recommend a travel book I just finished rereading:

"L'Usage du Monde" aka"The Way of the World" by author Nicolas Bouvier, with illustrations by his travel companion Thierry Vernet.

Perhaps just as Grant carries a few titles over in Walnut Creek, might Chris consider stocking the aforementioned title? I would have no doubt who would carry the best book a-n-d the best selection of hard-to-find bicycle parts for enthusiasts who don't follow the crowd. (~;

Can anyone point me to 50x36 rings or 50x38 or maybe even 52x38 that are (a) 9-10sp compatible (i.e. ramps, pins), and (b) not black? They don't necessarily have to be polished silver, like on VO's new Sugino, but simply any sort of silver that's decent looking. Oh, and BCD 110, such that it would be compatible with the Sugino Alpina. Thanks.

Nice! The VO product line is progressing at an astonishing clip! I have to agree on the Q factor, though. My knees prefer a Q of 140 mm, which is obtainable with a number of Campy cranks and easily obtainable with my old Ritchey (made by Sugino) cranks. BTW, someone said that the Q of the Ritcheys was 130 mm on a 103 BB and somebody else said "not." The Q on my Ritcheys is 145 mm on a Campy 116 mm Veloce BB. On a Dura Ace 103, it'd be right about 130 mm +/- a couple mm.

That chainguard has me thinking that what would be really cool to see is a 110/74 bcd crank setup as a wide range double using the chainguard as an outer ring, and 44/24 for the middle and inner rings.

I agree with the previous posters: the Q-factor is high. I had a Sugino X600, but I dumped them because I felt like I was straddling a horse. But there aren't many squared-tapered, silver compact cranks out there, so these new Suginos are probably the best of the lot.

FYI: I got 128mm Q on my Ritchey Double with 103mm Shimano BB. I was using a tape measure since I don't own calipers, so thats' maybe +/- 2mm?I don't think I could handle 160.I agree about getting 32/33 rings. I know you can do 33t, but is 32 even possible on a 110bcd?

how about cranks for shorter riders and children? sugino makes some of it's cranks down to 152mm (xd i believe) and they are very hard to get a hold of in the US. might you carry a few of these in triples (with crown logos of course)?

Sugino does make the XD in 160 and 152, and they are very easy to get in Japan. The guy at my wife's LBS in Tsushima City said that the 152 is considered a child's size, and he recommends a 165 or maybe a 160 for most small women. We got a 160 for my wife (she's 5'2"), and she likes it, but doesn't feel much difference from a 165. But it does improve the proportions of her very small bicycle.

Why no 172.5? Because no can tell if a crank is 2.5mm longer or shorter than the length they prefer. Try it in a blind test.

One of the things I have to decide is where to apply VO's resources. Do we buy a case of 150mm, or 172.5mm cranks that only a few people want, or do we apply that capital to getting a new 50mm bcd crank made?

Also, when buying components from a factory we can't just buy a few cranks. The high minimum orders sometimes require that we choose only the most popular sizes. That's why most shops buy from distributors such as QPB or J&B who will sell them just one or two cranks in each size. But those distributors don't import a lot of the components we sell.

Having experimented with a number of different crank sizes, I've come to the conclusion that 5mm increments are very noticeable. I've settled on 160mm for rando riding and commuting and 155mm for touring (the shorter cranks make me gear down and spin - protects the knees during long days with big hills and a load).

So far, Sugino XD, Pro 5 Vis and Zephyrs are the only ones I've found in those lengths. And you don't get much competition on ebay for 160mm Pro 5 vis...

I, too, can definitely tell the difference between a 172.5mm and a 170mm crank. I had 170's on a spare bike...I liked the bike, but almost never rode it becuase I had put a set of 170's that I got cheap. The pedaling circle was noticeably different. Found some 172.5's and the bike was far more rideable.

The best analogy that I can think of is this. You can walk all day long with a stride that differs very little. Now, tie your shoelaces together so that they restrict your stride by 5mm, and I'd be willing to bet that you'd spend the entire day tripping all over yourself.

Anyway, I understand the economics of scale and importing a specialty item like this, but I've got to believe that you would sell many more 172.5's than 165's.

i'm a little late to the conversation, but i just bought this beautiful crank set from velo orange and i'm not clear on how hard to tighten it. it would be great if you could post the recommended torque.